FARMVILLE, VA. – Charleston Southern Men’s Cross Country claimed their sixth consecutive Big South Conference Championship on Friday morning on the campus of Longwood University with a team score of 21. The Buccaneers had six All-Conference performances which included the squad going 1-2-3 overall with Caleb Kenyon, Hayden Goode and Micah Gilpatric.
The day began with plenty of anticipation in the air as Charleston Southern was looking to continue their historic stretch at the league’s championship meet with another title added to their streak. The squad ran smart in the opening and packed in through the first few kilometers to position themselves strategically for the race as it unfolded.
At the midway point in it, the lead pack had shrunk to a field of 30 runners with all ten Bucs still in it. By the 6K mark, the pack continued to get smaller with just five Buccaneers in the ten runners that remained in the top group, making the possibility within striking distance.
Each of the Bucs top seven finishers went sub six minutes for the final 2K of the race, their fastest splits of the day. Kenyon distanced himself from the rest of the field, crossing the finish line at 24:55.6 to claim the individual title. He had Goode and Gilpatric close behind him at 25:01.0 and 25:01.3 for second and third. Following two runners from High Point and one from Radford to finish, Martin Iriondo and Zach Mickler crossed the line in seventh and eighth overall to close out the Bucs’ scoring five and the championship with their times of 25:09.0 and 25:13.2.
Finishing out the top seven for the Bucs were Griffin Gillespie in 13th at 25:32.8 and Jeff Wedding in 16th at 25:42.6. Other runners in the lineup for Charleston Southern included Zaiden Lane (21st - 25:52.5), Andrew Cleland (24th – 26:03.5) and Lin Scott (27th – 26:12.0).
Kenyon becomes the sixth all-time individual winner from Charleston Southern in school history. Gilpatric was the most recent from CSU to win it as he claimed back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. Stintzi becomes the second all-time winningest coach in league history at the conference championship meet with his sixth victory. Additionally, this marks his sixth time he has won Big South Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, remaining as the second all-time winningest coach for the award on the men’s side.
The stretch of six consecutive titles becomes tied for the second-longest run in league history as they are now tied with Radford’s 1985-1990 stretch and trail Liberty’s nine in-a-row from 2005-2013. The team score of 21 ties the Bucs’ scores at the spring 2021 and 2023 championships which marks the third-lowest total in conference history.
The Buccaneers continue their postseason in two weeks with them traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia to compete in the NCAA Southeast Regionals. The race is scheduled for the morning of Friday, November 14 with the University of Virginia serving as hosts.
A full listing of CSU results, team results and awards from Friday morning’s race can be found below.
CSU Individual Results
1 – Caleb Kenyon – 24:55.6
2 – Hayden Goode – 25:01.0
3 – Micah Gilpatric – 25:01.3
7 – Martin Iriondo – 25:09.0
8 – Zach Mickler – 25:13.2
13 – Griffin Gillespie – 25:32.8
16 – Jeff Wedding – 25:42.6
21 – Zaiden Lane – 25:52.5
24 – Andrew Cleland – 26:03.5
27 – Lin Scott – 26:12.0
Final Team Results
1 – Charleston Southern (21)
2 – High Point (45)
3 – UNC Asheville (87)
4 – USC Upstate (115)
5 – Radford (126)
6 – Longwood (155)
7 – Winthrop (215)
8 – Presbyterian (234)
9 – Gardner-Webb (265)
Individual Champion
Caleb Kenyon, Charleston Southern
Freshman of the Year
Max Bonilla, High Point
Newcomer of the Year
Joshua Gillis, USC Upstate
Coach of the Year
Jim Stintzi, Charleston Southern
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Hayat Khan, Radford, Sr.
All-Conference (Top 14 Finishers)
First-Team
Caleb Kenyon, Charleston Southern
Hayden Goode, Charleston Southern
Micah Gilpatric, Charleston Southern
Avery Crowell, High Point
Gavin Stevens, High Point
Charlie Dance, Radford
Martin Iriondo, Charleston Southern
Second-Team
Zach Mickler, Charleston Southern
Jan Malek, UNC Asheville
Max Bonilla, High Point
Sam Shimanskiy, USC Upstate
Ari Snyder, High Point
Griffin Gillespie, Charleston Southern
Simon Treizenberg, High Point
All-Academic Team
Caleb Kenyon, Charleston Southern, Sr.
Michael Fletcher, Gardner-Webb, Soph.
Gavin Stevens, High Point, Jr.
Clinton Clancy, Longwood, Jr.
Noah Kaufman, Presbyterian, Jr.
Hayat Khan, Radford, Sr.
Quinn Jacquez, UNC Asheville, Sr.
Sam Shimanskiy, USC Upstate, Gr.
Jason Krell, Winthrop, Gr.